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How Did The Space Race Affect The Cold War?

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How did the space race affect the Cold War? The Space Race was an important component to the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. After the end of World War II in 1945 the United States and the Soviet Union were the most powerful countries in the world, which led to many political conflicts. Since these countries had different ideas it caused them to enter the Cold War in 1947 (Schlesinger, 1967). While the Cold War was going on, the Space Race became another aspect of this competition. The purpose of the Space Race was to determine whether the United State or the Soviet Union had greater technology, power, and knowledge. These aspects created a rivalry between the two nations by intensifing the competition of the Cold …show more content…

The race continued until 1969 when Niel Armstrong set foot on the moon (Seedhouse 128). The first satellite the Soviet Union launched into orbit was called Sputnik and it came as an unpleasant surprise to many Americans (“The Space Race”). Historians argue that the Soviet Union won the space race on October 4 1957 with the launch of Sputnik, but most agree it was just the start to the race (Seedhouse 128). After the launch of Sputnik the United States launched their own satellite in 1958 called explorer 1 which was designed by the United States army. The race began to heat up and the Soviet Union launched Luna 2 which became the first space probe to hit the moon (“The Space Race”). By 1962 The United States was able to send the first person to orbit around Earth which led to the Apollo Project being put into place. The project was a part of President John F. Kennedy's plan to reach the moon before the end of the decade (Seedhouse 195). The Apollo project hit its first major setback in January 1967 after an aircraft caught on fire killing three astronauts. A year prior to this strategy the chief engineer of the Soviet space program passed. By 1968 the United States sent out Apollo 8 which successfully orbited the moon. A year after the Apollo 8 mission the Apollo 11 space mission set off on July sixteenth and Neil Armstrong became the first man to step on the moon (“The …show more content…

The United States viewed the space race as a way to stop the spread of communism and prevent the spread of the Soviet Union's influence on Western European nations including France, Italy, and Greece (“The Space Race”). They also used their acomplishments to create new alliances or strengthen old ones as well as spread capitalism. While In the Soviet Union the race and war were seen as a way to strengthen and expand the communist system. They used their success to showcase the superiority of communism (Schlesinger,

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The Space Race seemed to only benefit the Soviets in the beginning. They were the first to launch Sputnik in 1957, and famously the first to put a man in space, Yuri Gagarin. According to historians though, these initial Soviet victories helped the United States to reach the moon first. In an effort to educate the public about the impacts of the original Soviet dominance in the war and how it helped propel the United States into the country who landed on the moon first, Asif Siddiqi, an esteemed space historian with a PhD from Fordham University stated, "In some ways, Sputnik and Gagarin were like gifts to NASA... You're not going to have a moon program without that kind of a shock.

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The Space Race was a time of competition between to two Cold War rivals, the US and the Soviet Union, in the discovery and exploration of space. The Space Race was a part of the Cold War and was another form of competition between them. This competition during the Space Race for breakthrough research in space exploration led to discoveries about space in a period of time that has not been rivaled by discoveries made after the end of the space race and the decrease in competition. This competition created an emphasis on researching space and shortened the time it would have most likely taken had there been no rivalry. The Space Race is considered to have started when the United States announced their plans for a satellite and the Soviet Union announced the same thing a few days later.

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The space race was a part of the Cold War. The space race began as the Soviet Union sent Sputnik and the first man into space. Sputnik was launched on October 04, 1957. Sputnik is world’s first artificial satellite. The word Sputnik means satellite in Russian.

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Another part of the Cold War included the Space Race. This is the fight, for both the Soviets and America, to get to space first and get better and further than the other country. On October 4, 1957, Sputnik 1 was launched into space.

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It’s the 1950’s, World War II has just ended, the world is still recovering from the damages caused by the war. However, from the ashes of the war two countries rose to superpower status, The United States and The Soviet Union. During World War II these two countries were allies but after the war they became sworn enemies engaging in the Cold War to see who could get ahead on one another. One of the events sparked by the Cold War was the Space Race, again involving the U.S. and the Soviet Union. The Space Race started after the Soviet Union managed to launch a beach ball sized satellite named Sputnik into orbit around the Earth thanks to the help of Sergei Korolev and his team.

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The Apollo program took place during the Cold War era, a period marked by intense competition and rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union. The successful moon landing of Apollo 11 demonstrated American technological prowess and served as a symbolic victory for the United States. It helped improve the country's global standing and fostered a sense of national pride among Americans, which indirectly influenced international relations. The Space Race, the competition between the United States and the Soviet Union to achieve space milestones, fueled a diplomatic rivalry.

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This was a very appealing situation for the US, which wanted to display their influence in the world. (SOURCE) In Kennedy’s speech on September 13th, 1962, John F Kennedy stated that to be seen as a prominent world leader, the US must take part in the Space Race and display their technological strength. (SOURCE) During the course of the Space Race, the US would continually come up short of the USSR’s advancements, being second to launch a satellite and second to launch a human into space.

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The Space Race, a defining chapter in human history, emerged amidst the intense Cold War rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union. This race for supremacy in space exploration captured the attention of the world and had far-reaching implications for science, technology, and geopolitics. Rooted in political tensions and ideological competition, the Space Race became a power struggle that extended beyond the Earth's atmosphere. It represented a battle for technological prowess, national prestige, and ideological superiority. The importance of the Space Race cannot be understated, as it sparked unprecedented advancements in science and technology.

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On October 4, 1957, a Soviet R-7 intercontinental ballistic missile launched Sputnik was the first satellite to orbit in the earth orbit. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, a federal agency dedicated to go to space and explorate it, as well as few programs wanting to exploit the military potential of space. The Soviets Union were one step ahead, launching the first man into space in April 1961. After the Soviet Union sent Alan Shepard to become the first American man in space, President John F. Kennedy made the a speech claim that the U.S. would land a man on the moon by the end of the decade. On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin of NASA’s Apollo 11 mission, became the first man to set foot on the moon.

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Robert H. Goddard built and tested the first successful liquid-propellant rocket on March 16, 1926. He proved that it was possible for something to travel faster than sound. In the 1950’s and 60’s, there was a rapid growth in astronautical engineering. In 1957 the U.S.S.R obtained the Sputnik I which was the world’s first artificial satellite which started the space exploration race with the U.S. In 1961 John F. Kennedy took the challenge of “landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth” this task was completed on July 20, 1969, when astronauts Neil A. Armstrong and Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr., landed on the

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